Scott & Diane: Before the were Cullens
by Midnight Ariel
Summary: In Jan 2008, Scott and Diane were changed by Carlisle after a horrific crash, then were offered the Cullen crest in *No Way Back*. Under Jasper's guidance, they became skilled, fierce warriors. When mysterious dangers loomed in *Spinal Cord* they teamed up with Jasper and Alice to do some serious damage. Ever wonder what Scott and Diane's human lives were like? Read on.
1. Introduction

Introduction

This may be a bit unusual, but that's how I roll. I like to contribute one-shots to fandom causes and wanted a way to tie them together. So I've decided that all of my charity contributions, for the foreseeable future, will be the events in the lives of the _No Way Back _and _Spinal Cord_ characters. They will be written out of order—as the mood strikes me and as I donate to whatever causes I can. Once the new chapter has been up for a week or two, I will move it to its proper place in the timeline.

If you have a cause that you think is worthy, I'd like to know about it. Have or a time/event in NWB you would like me to write about? Want a POV (any character) about something? Perhaps you'd like the back story to a scene or a certain character. Leave it in a review and I will write it as time allows. There will be spoilers if you have not read NWB first!

Timeline:

2006 (Dec.) Breaking Dawn - The Volturi leaves the Cullens without a fight.

2008 (Jan.) No Way Back - Scott and Diane are changed by Carlisle.

2008 (Sept.) No Way Back - Aro returns to the Forks.

2009 (Jan.) Spinal Cord – Marcus calls Jasper, asking he and his brothers (including Scott) come to Volterra.

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©2012 Midnight Ariel

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Disclaimer:

All things Twilight are the property of Stephanie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thank you SM for creating the wonderful world of Twilight. It is my hope that I have treated your creations with all the respect they deserve. The original characters and story lines are mine.

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©2012 Midnight Ariel


	2. The Beginning

The Beginning

1984-1988

I was fourteen years old the first time I laid eyes on the man who would be my forever. For us, forever started with a random glance. Yeah, sounds melodramatic—sometimes the truth is. My freshman year in high school; I know it was the second semester, but I can't remember the date. Didn't remember it then, so there's no way I can now. That little tidbit could've been in one of my old journals, but we know what happened to those. Anyway, I do remember that the day was sunny and warm. Good ole southern California weather.

Just a typical high school day. My friends and I were navigating the between-class swarm, savoring each moment of freedom before being trapped for another fifty-five minutes of torture in the name of education. The noise of the crowd was a welcome break to the enforced silence of the classroom.

A burst of loud laughter is what drew my attention at first. A group of typical high school guys doing typical stuff. Standing on a brick planter, they were easy to spot, laughing at something. My eyes quickly went down the line, and one stood out from the rest. I can still see those moments in my mind. Dark blond hair shining in the sun as he gestured. A handsome face with a smile so captivating that I found myself smiling, too. I remember thinking how I wanted to smile and laugh like that—genuinely happy.

Making sure my expression stayed indifferent—had to stay cool, you know—I asked my friend, Tammy, "Who's that?"

"Who?" She looked over at the group.

"The one in the denim jacket. Dark blond hair." I snickered when the crowd parted for a moment, letting me get a good look at the rest of him. "Jeans rolled like James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause."

She got a gleam in her eye. Guess I didn't keep my interest hidden by looking at him again. "Oh, _him_." She bumped my shoulder with her own. "That's Scott Landrum. Cute, huh?"

I gave a non-committal shoulder raise, and we kept walking. That was it; nothing remarkable about the encounter, really. He didn't see me looking at him. No longing stares or lusty glances where you could almost hear the background music. Still, I never forgot it as a human. Now, being a vampire burdened with almost every memory of my human life, it's one of the good ones I have to balance out all the awful ones that will never leave me.

I'd give a lot to get some of the black ones to vanish from my mind.

Tammy prattled on as we walked away, but I can't remember what she said because my eyes kept going back to Scott until we rounded the corner—and met up with my boyfriend. Scott seemed out of my league, unattainable. Besides, I wasn't one to pursue a guy, so I pushed him out of my mind and told myself I was happy with Tim. The one who didn't really know me but said he loved me. The fact I was never able to say those three little words back should have been my first clue.

Fast forward to our sophomore year—same boyfriend. Jeez, Tim was a pushover. How boring. I just couldn't respect a guy who didn't respect himself enough to stand up to me once in a while. Life at home sucked, big time. My anger tended to lash out at those who I knew weren't a threat—like a certain wimpy boyfriend. I knew things between us weren't great, but having a boyfriend made me feel secure, something I didn't feel at home, so I settled.

Scott and I saw each other around the school, but that was about it. Okay, okay so there was the time in driver's ed when I _may_ not have had as much control over the car as I could have, and Scott _may_ have been in the back seat thinking his life was about to end. He says I almost got us killed. I say no harm, no foul. Looking back, it seems like fate that one of our earliest memories of one another had him thinking we'd die in a car crash. That being the very thing that killed us—or would have, if not for Carlisle's well-timed bite.

I digress…

By the time our junior year was over, I joined the drama club that he had been in for years, and only then did we start talking every day. I had a different boyfriend by then—one of his friends. Only years later would I find out that he liked me early on but placed me squarely on the "off limits" list.

Being on that list only lasted until the next year when I finally grew up and wised up enough to dump said boyfriend and swore off boys forever—or at least until after graduation. Which, in fact, seems like forever when you're that young.

Look at me, digressing again…

Truth be told, I didn't have that much confidence in high school. Joining the drama crowd boosted what little I had, but even then, my bravado only lasted while I was on stage or with my drama friends. Life at home was far from good. Worse since Aunt Yani—the only adult who really listened to me—died just a few months before. So I spent as much time at school as I could. Drama took a lot of time—rehearsals and all that—so I gave it everything I had. My parents didn't want me around, so they let me.

Remember that boyfriend I dumped? The second one? Yeah, he didn't want to give up so easily. Kinda hard to get away seeing that he was in the drama club, too.

One day he caught me by myself. I was sitting in the theater waiting for rehearsal to start, trying to get a jump start on the night's homework. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. Up until then, I had been very careful not to be alone with this guy since the breakup. I was so nervous then. It's funny how that one jerk was able to make me so nervous. Now, I have the strength and skill to take down a _vampire_ twice his size—and I have.

"Hi, babe."

My eyes slid from my book to a familiar pair of worn, black vans. I swallowed hard. My gaze went up his ratty jeans and over his too tight U2 shirt. Ugh. What did I ever see in him? Flat, brown eyes glared at me from a zit-covered face topped with unkempt, dirty hair. I held my shiver.

How do the icky guys get pretty girls? Because said girls don't think very highly of themselves, that's how.

Not wanting him to stand over me, I stood quickly and stepped back, hoping for some space, which he quickly closed. "Hi, Nick." I hated the little waver in my voice. I looked around and found no one in the audience area to help me out. Great. "What do you want?"

"Relax, girl." He reached out as if to take my hand. I jerked away. I never wanted him to touch me again. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he let out a grunt to show his displeasure. "So, what have you been up to?"

As if he didn't know. He'd been following me from school to work to home almost every day. He had to know that I'd seen him. I cleared my throat to try to keep my voice even. "Nothing much."

"Someone's been messing with my car. Used a hammer or bat and tore up the hood. Hit it so hard they punched a hole in it and ruined the distributor cap. I had to walk to school today." His tone sounded like he was accusing me. "Your new boyfriend do that for you?"

Looking back, I'm pretty sure Yani took care of Nick's car. She was following little human me around back then. I'll bet she'd seen him blow up at me when we broke up in the school parking lot. I wonder if she ever wanted to kill that creep. Hmm…wonder if he's still alive or if she ever did after I graduated. Not having a clue then, I crossed my arms. "I don't know what you're talking about, and—not that it's any of your business—I don't have a new boyfriend."

He nodded like he was on the set of The Godfather. "Good. That's good. So…" His eyes went up and down my body, making my stomach turn. "…I was just wondering about the Sadie Hawkins dance."

I felt my face pale. Everyone was talking about the dance where the girl asks the guy out. I hadn't an ounce of intention of attending, but he didn't need to know that. "Yeah, what about it?"

"I was just wondering if you were going." I didn't like his tone or that look in his eye—both were daring me to say yes. To Nick, it didn't matter that I said we were over. He thought of me as his. He'd told his friends he was just "waiting for me to snap out of it." Guess he'd gotten tired of waiting.

That got my dander up. What a jerk. Out of nowhere, I realized that he wouldn't cause a scene here. We weren't alone anymore. No one else was in the theater, but I could hear that some guys had arrived backstage; just one yell would bring them running. I knew a few of them wouldn't hesitate to help me out, even if they were Nick's friends as well as mine. My bravado kicked up a notch. "What's it to you?"

His smile told me that he was happy I hadn't immediately said I was going. "Well, since you haven't asked anyone…"

"Nick, are you asking me to ask you to the dance?"

"Yeah." Him smug look made me wish I had the guts to slap him.

This guy was out of his mind! Sure, it took me a while to gather the nerve to break things off. Frankly, he scared me, but I was feeling a little more sure of myself at that moment. "What I do isn't up to you anymore."

The look in his eye turned a bit mean then. "So—what are you saying?"

"I'm already going, with someone else," I lied.

"Whatever." His look turned into a glare. "Slut."

Ralph walked on the stage. Seeing us, he loudly cleared his throat.

Nick got the message and stomped off. I began to panic. I had been witness to Nick's temper before, and I was very scared of it being aimed at me. If I didn't show up at that dance with a guy, he'd know I'd lied, and he'd take it _very_ personally. The thought of an angry Nick showing up at my house made me cringe. I had no other choice than to come up with a date for a dance that was happening in two weeks. Pushing me around was one thing, but doing it to another guy—Nick didn't have the guts. Surely I could find someone…

In walked Scott.

We were friends by then. In fact, we'd just been cast together in the school play. Our rehearsal schedules were the same, so we'd gone to lunch together a few times just to kill time. Friends can go to dances together, right? While someone had probably asked him to the dance, I was hoping no one had.

Wait.

Only then—when he was half way to me—did I realize what Scott was wearing…or rather _wasn't_ wearing.

He wasn't wearing a shirt. Not only was he shirtless, but he was covered in sweat.

_Oh, my._

I had never seen shirtless Scott before and quite frankly I was overcome. As I openly stared, I heard him say something about just coming from track practice. Well, that would explain those tight abs…

_Oh, my. Oh, my!_

Yep, I was gawking.

Open-mouthed, forgot-to-breathe gawking.

Forcing myself to turn away, I sucked in a deep breath. I had to get control of myself. I knew he was cute, but come on! What I just saw was drool-worthy! How had I missed that? Oh yeah, out of my league.

"Hey, Diane."

I whirled back around to find Scott standing two feet from me. He was standing in the row in front of me. Only a single theater seat separated me from shirtless, sweaty, washboard-abs Scott. Right then, I proved just how good of an actress I was when I kept my eyes on his face and stayed totally calm. "Hey."

_Have his eyes always been so gorgeous? Hazel…so bright they sparkle…they look like they're hiding a secret._

"I know were supposed to start soon, but my shoulders are really sore. Could you rub them for me?"

Normally this wouldn't have been a big deal. Our group of friends was very close. On any other day, I wouldn't have thought twice about such a request. But he was shirtless…and sweaty.

I cleared my throat. "Sure."

My fingers had only been on him for a minute before my mouth took control without the consent of my brain. "Ya know I'm not doing this for free. I want something in return."

He scoffed. He was cocky back then. Okay, he still is, but he was worse back then. "Oh yeah, like what?"

"Like a date to the Sadie Hawkins dance." My eyes went wide. Had my brain totally deserted me? Once the words were out, all I could do was hope he didn't hear me or at least would let me down easy.

He stood up and had the audacity to smirk at me. "I'll think about it."

All I did was blink as he walked away. He went up on stage and disappeared behind the curtain. Shocked into silence, it took a minute for my brain to reengage.

_What a jerk! Who does he think he is?_

With a huff, I tried to put my attention back on my homework. My eyes may have been on my algebra book, but my mind was on Scott. I didn't know what I was going to say to him, but I knew when I finally figured it out it was going to be good.

Rehearsal started and I formed a plan. I wasn't going to say a thing. He was going to come to me, darn it, or he could just forget my invitation. So I did the mature thing—I ignored him. Well, we were in the show together, but that wasn't me talking to him during rehearsal, it was my character.

Whatever.

His lack of answer to my request didn't bother me as much as that smirking. Every time he looked at me, he had that smug smirk on his face. It was barely there but I saw it—the jerk.

I was so tempted to yell, "I take it back!" at Scott, and I might have if it hadn't been for Nick. Scott's shirtless sweatiness didn't hurt either. But it was mostly Nick—the one who was staring at me. He was mad, and I was under his scrutiny. A shiver ran up my spine as I realized he'd probably follow me home—again—just to make sure I wasn't with someone else.

Between being mad at Scott and afraid of Nick, I was a mess by the time rehearsal was over. I was about to leave when I saw Scott on stage tying his shoe. My rage rose, and I stormed up to him. "Yes or no, Landrum. I'm not going to wait all day." I crossed my arms and gave him my best look of I-could-care-less.

Scott looked up—again with the smirk. "Sure."

My smile was embarrassingly wide. "Cool." I walked away doing the jumpy-clappy-squealy-girly thing in my head while staying calm outside. Lucky for me, I avoided Nick when one of the girls offered me a ride home. If he showed up at my house that night, I never knew it.

As soon as I got inside, I high-tailed it to my room and blasted the stereo so I could jump and squeal in piece. Once that important task was checked off my list, I recorded everything in my beloved diary.

Little did I know just how much our lives would change after that day.

The next day he started walking me to class. We had to talk about the dance, you know. Then the letters started. First they were short notes passed during the few classes we shared that quickly morphed into full length letters that we wrote instead of doing our class work. It's a miracle either of us graduated.

The day of the dance, he drove me to my house to get ready. There in the driveway as we sat in his Honda Accord, he asked me to be his girlfriend.

Ten weeks later, he asked me to be his wife.

Believe me, that ten weeks is a story all of its own.

And it all started with a random glance.

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©2012 Midnight Ariel

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Beta house: Project Team Beta

Betas: SqueakyZorro and Batgirl8968

Graphic Artist: Sunray16

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Not donated.

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	3. Candlelit Memories

Candlelit Memories

August 2007

Birthdays are special—each and every one. Sure, there are some we cherish more than others because they are an even bigger milestone than the typical anniversary of one's birth.

The first birthday. Who isn't a sucker for watching a one-year-old plaster themselves with cake and frosting? The crowd laughs and coos at the birthday babe as the parents snap pictures and do all they can to preserve the memory.

Five is kind of a big deal. Getting ready for school and all that. No longer so dependant, turning five is the first smack in the face for parents that no child stays little forever.

Then there's ten! Jeez, that's when the major attitude kicks in as puberty gives its first tap on the door and the hormones start to trickle in. They think they're big stuff—and they are in a way—but not as big as they think.

Of course thirteen is huge. The land of the teenager is now open. Suddenly parents just don't understand and teens start thinking about all the stuff they're suddenly entitled to—even though they haven't earned any of it—and all the freedom they think they should have. After all Johnny's parent let him do it, so everyone else should get the same treatment.

A warning sign should fall from the sky: Buckle up, parents. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.

One year blends into the next…the cake…the candles keep multiplying…Happy Birthday sung in a disconcerting array of keys as candlelight adds to the brightness of the birthday child's smile.

_Just yesterday she was blowing out that single candle…_

"Hey, Mom." Stacy, our oldest child, kissed me good morning, causing my mom-musings to fade.

"Happy Birthday, honey."

Her smile can't get any wider, and I'm reminded of the little girl that has grown up while I blinked.

"Thanks! I can't believe it—sixteen—finally! Dating, here I come!" She poured herself a glass of juice and took a sip. "I wonder how long it will take him to ask me out?"

Scott huffed from behind his laptop, causing Stacy and I to share a giggle.

My husband's grimace provoked a surge of pity for him. Tilting my head toward him, I whispered, "Take it easy on your dad."

"Aw, Daddy." She kissed his cheek. "Don't be like that."

He tried to stay solemn, but his smile broke through when she gave him the look that all Daddy's girls know how to use. Satisfied with the effect, Stacy bounded away, and after watching her go, his gaze shifted back to me. His eyes were a bit glassy.

Seeing my smirk, he growled, "Shut up, Diane."

"I didn't say anything."

"You don't need to. It's like I can hear you in my head."

After blowing him a kiss, I laughed softly when he frowned at me. "You're a teddy bear deep inside your Marine shell. She was your little girl—it's not hard to figure out, hon."

"She'll always be my little girl," the Marine-teddy replies.

"Da-ddy!" The birthday girl came back in with Cindy in tow, handing our three-year-old dynamo to me. "_She's_ little, I'm not." A familiar twinkle comes to her eyes—so much like her father. She sing-songs, "And I get to start dating."

Scott is not amused. "You're gonna get some boy killed. You know that?"

Laura slips into her seat at the table. "Not just any boy, Daddy—David Weaver."

Flushing, Stacy hit her sister. "Shut up."

Popping a piece of toast into her mouth, our second child shrugs. "Daddy needs to know the name of his victim, right?"

I know what's coming. Taking a minute to study my toast, I brace myself and then look up to meet Scott's hard stare.

"Who's David Weaver?"

Gunnery Sergeant Landrum is now in the building.

The girls have gone silent, and even our two boys have halted their decent of our stairs, leaving me to defuse my husband. _Great._

Smiling, I took a casual sip of my coffee. Scott's eyes narrowed, his silent command was very clear. _Out with it!_

"He's a boy from school," I hedged.

Silence…arms crossed…not even blinking. The patented Scott Landrum "stare and glare" was in full force.

So I spilled. "I've only seen him a few times, but I've been told we will get to meet him tonight. Isn't that right, Stacy?"

She giggles, and Scott suddenly looks like he's going to be sick. A few seconds later, his Marine-face locks back into place. The threatening glare's intimidation factor is softened a bit because we know he'd never really hurt us. Can't really say the same for poor David Weaver, though.

"Just remember, young lady, I can make a body disappear."

He could, too.

Stacy rolled her eyes and walked away. Her nervous glance in my direction told me she's a little worried about introducing David to her father.

Smart girl.

Jack and Celeb, knowing the coast is clear, descended upon their breakfasts, quickly eating them, plus any leftovers they could reach. I shuddered at the estimated hike in my grocery bill when they become teenagers.

The morning is quickly consumed by my to-do list, and the rush of activity has the afternoon whir past before I can even think about eating lunch. Before I know it, night has fallen and our house and yard are full of guests—except the one that three of us are very anxious to see.

My battle-hardened husband's eyes were a bit misty as they followed our first-born as she virtually floated around the party guests, thoroughly enjoying her night. We went to eight different stores before settling on a dress that fit Stacy's desires and our budget. The soft pink looked good on her and the knee-length satin was at the edge of the modesty guidelines we had set.

Twinkle lights hung from the rafters of our patio, giving the hot pink and zebra decorations a magical quality. We may not have had the means to buy a lot for Stacy's party, but I thought we made our dollars stretch quite well.

Amidst the festivities, Scott and I sat in silence, taking the whole scene in and wondering how this day came so fast. Didn't we just bring her home from the hospital yesterday? Jeez, we were so young then—so much to learn.

Those first months I felt as if I was going to drop dead from sleep deprivation. With the birth of our first child, I became the world's lightest sleeper. Who knew the tiny wisp of a baby's sigh would be enough to wake me from a dead sleep? More than once, I'd said that I'd give anything if she'd just sleep past five in the morning. Once she hit high school, I had to drag her out of bed at eight to make sure she was ready for church on Sunday.

A long sigh escaped me before I thought to stop it.

Scott's low chuckle tickled my ear. "Now who's thinking about her little girl?"

"I'm not the one who wants our daughter to become a crazy old cat lady living in our basement."

Grumbling incoherently, Scott began shredding his napkin as he eyed the boys milling around.

I scooted my chair closer to avoid being overheard. "Don't you want grandchildren?"

"Yeah…eventually…I guess."

"Then she has to get married someday." I managed to hold my giggle when Scott's face went blank. "And to do that, she has to date."

His glare was back and the hand Scott had resting on my knee twitched. "I'm telling you, she's gonna get some boy killed."

I brushed my hand over the twitchy one. "Please don't make me bail you out of jail. Not to mention, you'd lose your military security clearance."

After another round of grumbling—which I ignored—we fell into an easy silence as we watched the blossoming woman who grew up much too quickly. Suddenly, her face lit up as a girl's does for only one reason.

Following Stacy's gaze, we found David—his eyes locked on our daughter.

Scott's hand tightened around my knee. When it reached the point of pain, I hit him with my elbow.

"I'm on your side here."

"After that marriage comment, I'm not so sure about that."

Stacy and David hadn't moved. They stood on opposite sides of our crowed patio—still staring as if they were the only two people there.

That's when my husband coughed, very loudly, and fixed the first poor fool to set his sights on a Landrum girl with a glare so fierce that David took a step back.

Snapped out of her trance, Stacy hurried to him. After a few hushed words—which I'm sure was an apology—she turned to us and mouthed, "Stop."

Scott shook his head.

I sighed. The boy was doomed.

My daughter looked at me, and I could only shrug. Scott was now sitting ram-rod straight as his eyes followed David and Stacy. Perhaps she really would get the boy killed. After a few whispers from me about wanting our daughter to enjoy her night, Scott relaxed—a little.

Attempting to walk the line between responsible parents and cool ones, we blended into the background.

I called it chaperoning.

Scott referred to it as recon. My laughter only lasted until my Marine identified—by name—every boy there who had checked out my daughter's backside.

Yeah, not so funny.

Just when I had gotten the hand on my knee to relax, a slow song began to play.

The hand twitched as David led Stacy to the middle of the dance floor and put his arm around my firstborn. The hand squeezed—none too gently—when she laid her head on his chest. Silently I yelled, _Take it easy on your Dad!_ Of course, she couldn't hear me.

David's hand stayed glued to Stacy's upper back during the song, but that wasn't what held my attention.

Stacy was _glowing_.

Right then, I knew I was watching a golden memory in the making. No matter how things with David worked out, the night, the dance, would stay etched in Stacy's mind, and diary, for the rest of her life. My eyes grew misty as I silently thanked God for letting Scott and I witness the magic moment. When the music ended, I realized I had been staring the entire time.

I wasn't the only one.

Placing my hand on Scott's, I gently removed the vice-like grip from my knee, and moved our joined hands to the tabletop. "You're glaring, sweetie. Stop it."

He tipped his cup back, finishing it in a few long gulps. Setting the now-empty cup back down, he frowned at it, no doubt wishing for something stronger than Dr. Pepper.

I took the cup. "I'll get you a refill."

"Do me a favor and add some Honey Jack to that."

"Later." I stood and patted his shoulder. "Stop glaring, you're going to burn a hole in the side of that boy's head."

"If only."

Giving up, I went to the drink table, talking to our guests along the way—all of them Stacy's friends. Their eyes lit up just a little every time they shifted to where the belle of the ball danced.

Meanwhile, I was fairly certain my husband was plotting a messy felony in his head.

Scott's eyes never left David and Stacy as I made my way back to our table. I was very familiar with the determined look on my husband's face and knew he'd find a way to get David alone in order to lay down the law.

Ignorant of the danger he was in, the stupid boy let his hand slowly slide down my daughter's back.

Scott went rigid.

I quickly calculated how much cash I could lay my hands on for bail.

When the offending appendage reached our daughter's waist, Scott shot out of his chair—eyes fixed on the one whose life expectancy was rapidly shrinking.

My husband was a bit too slow.

David's hand drifted further south…

_CRACK!_

It took me a moment to realize that Stacy had slapped David across the face—hard.

Her eyes welling, Stacy stepped back. "I can't believe you tried that!"

The entire party froze—except Scott who slipped in front of his little girl. "Think it's time for you to go."

David tried to peer around the mountain of protective father. "I—that was stupid. I'm sorry Stace."

His apology was given to Stacy's back because she was already walking away.

Her daddy, however, took a step closer. "You need to leave—_now._"

I followed Stacy into the house, leaving Scott to deal with the knucklehead. By the time I reached her, she was crying onto her pillow.

After shutting the door gently, I sat on the edge of the bed. "Oh, honey. I'm so sorry."

Days gone by flashed through my mind. A time when scooping up my crying daughter was wanted. I crossed my arms to make myself give Stacy the space she seemed to need. Giving in to my need to touch her, I let my hand rest on her back—and released the dam. The birthday girl cried harder.

"Why, mom?"

She was far too old for blind reassurances. "You know what your Daddy always says about boys."

Sitting up, she hugged her pillow. "Yeah, men are pigs." She wiped her eyes. "He's right. They are. Every single one."

"He'd be happy to hear you say that."

She cocked her head. "Is it stupid that—even though I'm so mad at that jerk—that I still like him?"

Despite my feelings, I'd promised myself long ago that I'd never lie to my children. "No, it's not stupid."

"Really?"

"Really."

"He knew how important tonight was!" Stacy punched her pillow. "I wanted Daddy to like him, and he spoiled everything!"

"Only if you let him."

She looked at me, waiting for an explanation.

I checked my nails.

"Argh!" She flopped to her side, curling into a ball. "I hate when you do that."

"Do what?"

"Try to make me think. Why can't you just tell me what to do, like other moms?"

I smirked, despite trying not to. "I want you to be an independent thinker."

"Can I just stay up here and sulk?"

"You can." I shrugged. "But why waste a perfectly good party because of one guy with bad judgment?"

"I'm embarrassed." She picked at a spot on her dress. "Everyone saw what happened."

"Don't be. He's the one who should be embarrassed."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

I stood up to go. When Stacy didn't, I sat back down.

"What if I really decide to stay up here?"

I ran my hand over the top of her head like I did when it was covered with baby softness. "I'd go down and tell your friends to party on without you."

She sat up. "You would?"

"Absolutely. Why waste the food and all my awesome party planning skills?"

The smile I'd been working for finally came. "It did turn out to be a great party, mom, thanks."

"Did it for you, Stacy."

In an increasingly rare display, she hugged me tightly. "I love you, Mom. Thanks for being here for me."

"Anytime."

Pulling back, she looked down. "I hope so, but ya never know." A tear fell to her lap as she twisted her pillow into a bundle. Knowing what was coming, I braced myself. "What if daddy doesn't come back?"

I swallowed my emotion down. "We'll deal with it. It'd be hard—really hard—at first. We'd lean on each other and help each other. We'd do our best to move on—to live. It's what Daddy would want." I knew this because that's what Scott had told me when I'd asked the same question last year.

"Then what if something happened to you?"

Scooting closer, I squeezed her hand. "Hey, where's all this coming from?"

"It's stupid."

"Something that's bothering you is _not_ stupid."

"Last night, Cindy was watching Cinderella. I've watched it tons of times, and I'd never noticed it before. First, she loses one parent and then the other—and I thought—what if that happens to me. What if Daddy…then you…"

"Stop. You're too young to worry about stuff like that."

"You and Daddy only say that to deflect."

My eyebrows shot up. "Is that right? When did you get so smart?"

She looked at me with her father's glare. "Yes—so stop and tell me. What if something happens to both of you?"

There was no denying the fact Stacy was right. Still, no parent wants to talk about their worst nightmare.

But she wanted to know.

Taking a deep breath, I plunged in. "If anything happened to both of us, your Aunt Brooke and Uncle Jesse would take care of you. Plus, they'd have a bunch of family to help them. All of your grandparents, even Aunt Natalie and Uncle Bill way out in New York. They'd all still love you just as much as they do now."

Nodding weakly, she whispered, "But it still wouldn't be the same."

The silence that filled the three seconds I needed to find my voice was deafening.

"No," I whispered back. "It wouldn't be the same." Clearing my throat I forced the lump away and some confidence into my voice. "But if that happened, the Lord would be with you and you'd be strong, and help you're brothers and sisters. Then, someday, you would be able to live again." Tears spilled down my cheeks at the painful thought of my children being young and without us. "And if I could see you from wherever I was—see you living and being happy—that would make me smile."

Desperate to get off our morbid topic, I stood and straightened my slacks. Going to her vanity I picked up the lip gloss she had used that night and held it out to her. "You still have presents to open."

Her head dropped down. "If anything ever happened to you guys…" she sniffed "…I don't think I could…"

"I don't think God's going to let that happen."

Yeah. Talk about regretting your words.

Forcing a smile, I waved the lip gloss. "Bet you got a ton of cool stuff. Besides, if you stay up here—he wins—and you lose out on a party you've been looking forward to for months."

"You have too," she accused.

"Absolutely me too."

She giggled and stood up, taking the lip gloss. "I'll sacrifice, for you."

"Such sarcasm!" I watched her shellac her lips in glittering pink. "You get that from your father."

"I get it from both of you." Looking in the mirror, she smoothed her hair. "Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime, sweetie. Let's go."

When we came back to the patio, Stacy was immediately circled by her friends. After a round of hugs and whispers she was glowing again.

I found Scott standing at the edge of the festivities, his eyes moving continuously along the edges of our yard.

"Gunny Landrum, are you doing a perimeter check?"

"That boy better be smart enough not to come back here."

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. "Is he even _able_ to come back or did you bury him while we were inside?"

"If I did, I'd never tell." He lifted his chin toward Stacy. "She all right?"

"Yeah." When my husband muttered something about being glad to never have to look at that boy again, I decided he needed to be schooled on teenage girls. "You know, she'll probably forgive him tomorrow."

Scott glared at the sky. "Not if I have anything to do with it."

"Easy, Gunny." I rubbed his bicep. "You say something like that to her and he's as good as back into her good graces."

A loud drum solo drew our eyes back to the dance floor where Stacy was still surrounded by her friends as they danced and sang to the thumping music from the Skillet CD Stacey had just received. The early unpleasantness slipped away, overridden by laughter and music.

Half an hour later, we were singing Happy Birthday to the young woman who had grown up way too fast. As she blew out her candles, my mind flashed back to a baby Stacy shoving handfuls of Barbie cake into her mouth with blobs of pink frosting in her hair. Sixteen years ran through my mind, and when I came back to the present, reality hit me.

Two years.

That's all I had left.

In two years she would graduate and start her adult life. Had I done enough for her? Been a good enough mother? Loved her enough? Listened enough? Said no enough?

The sight of Stacy taking her first bite of pink and zebra-striped cake swam as my eyes began to well. I wiped away the evidence of my emotion just in time for her to see.

Busted.

Trying to lighten the mood, I shrugged, downplaying my display.

That's when my daughter, who could have rolled her eyes, or laughed at me, simply mouthed, "Thank you."

Cue more tears.

"Have Stacy bring him to dinner."

"What?" Still lost in my moment, I figured I'd heard Scott wrong. "What did you say?"

"Tell Stacy to bring what's-his-name over for dinner. I want to meet him before I go."

Looking at my husband, I read his expression just as clearly as if I could hear him in my head.

"You don't want her dating while you're gone, do you?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Can't we lock her in her room until I get back?"

"For four months?"

His eyes glossed over. "I'm going to miss so much. Hell, I've already missed a lot, but this…" Shoving his hands into his pockets, he whispered, "I feel like I'm letting her down."

"Scott."

"Not just her—you, too. You're gonna getting stuck dealing with all of it—alone."

I tried to imitate his glare. "You are _not_ letting us down. I'll manage, I've done it before, and I'll do it again."

Looking off to the side, he didn't reply while I searched for the right words. Scott wouldn't be with us much longer. Next week, he'd go back to Afghanistan to finish his deployment—four more months of separation. We'd already endured nearly twelve months of it. Stacy had already decided she'd only have her party when Scott was home on leave; him being here within two weeks of her birthday was a happy coincidence—or perhaps providence.

Shaking my head, I resolved to not dwell on the coming separation any longer. I didn't want to spoil the rest of the night. Stacy's sixteenth birthday was a one-shot deal, and I wanted to enjoy it.

Losing myself in the scene, I focused on every positive I saw.

A smile.

A shared giggle between Stacy and her friends.

How beautiful she looked in her happiness.

The warmth of my husband's hand on mine.

Soaking in every good thing, I tried to feast on the happiness, preparing for the storm of trial ahead.

Like a lost Eskimo sitting by a dying fire, I was doing everything possible to soak in the warmth, warding off the deadly cold that was closing in, waiting for the blaze to fade away so that the freeze could take over, consuming everything good, leaving only frosty bitterness in its wake.

I had to fight it to keep it from me—from my children.

I tried to see past the deployment and focus on the other side where we would be together. After over twenty years of service, Scott planned to retire once he got home.

We'd have lots of time to be together then.

At least, that's what I thought.

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2012 ©Midnight Ariel

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Thanks to all these lovely people who helped me:

Pre-readers: AliceFan and BinkyBoo

Betas: Miss Winkles and XXX

Graphic Artist: Sunray16

* * *

Candlelit Memories was written for Fandom for Colorado.

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	4. Cindy Smiles

Cindy Smiles

January 2008

Few things truly shock me anymore. Living over three hundred years has put a lot of experiences under my belt and, sadly, it means there are few surprises in store for me now. Such is the life of an immortal.

Three years ago, a typical shift in the emergency room at Forks Hospital provided a jolt from the ordinary. Edward had saved his future wife from a sliding van. When Bella insisted Edward had covered the length of the parking lot in the space of a few seconds, keeping my composure had been difficult. My family's secret was suddenly in the hands of a fragile human. Fate must have a sense of humor.

Today, fate surprises me yet again—my composure rattled by a very small girl. I recognize the scent even before I enter the room. Seeing her lying on the bed, I am concerned. Did I miss something? Her heartbeat and breathing sound good. I smell no infection. Why is she here?

Large, hazel eyes sparkle with innocent curiosity as they move about the room. The eye color and her dark blonde hair are the only contributions her father made to the little girl's features. The rest is all her mother—the round face, the cheekbones, the upturned nose.

The woman standing next to the hospital bed introduces herself as Kathy Miles from Child Protective Services. Her elevated heartbeat tells me she is having difficulty keeping her professional front intact around this sweet girl. I do not need Edward's gift to know she is extremely concerned for her young charge. Her touch is gentle when she pats the small shoulder closest to her.

"This is Cindy. Cindy Landrum."

Cindy's state of mind is far from expected. Lying in my emergency room, the calm displayed on little Cindy's face is unsettling—her small world has just been turned upside down. While I am not responsible for her situation, the guilt I feel is nearly painful. Her guardian does not offer an immediate explanation for the whereabouts of the girl's parents. There is no need. I know exactly where they are.

Her parents are in my home—transforming into vampires.

I know this because I am their sire.

None of these thoughts are allowed to show through my mask of professional courtesy as the nurse completes her preliminary questions and gathers the girl's vitals. Blessedly, everything looks good. She has a few cuts, surprisingly few, and without consulting her chart I know there are no broken bones. Not only do I know she is physically fine, but I also know how she got the cuts that mar her small hands and arms.

I had been the first to examine her after the accident.

"Thank you, nurse." I take the chart from Dorothy who gives me a small smile. The news of the Landrum tragedy has fully circulated through the staff here. Being the closest hospital meant we received the ambulance—only one.

The five Landrum children had _insisted_ on riding together.

Cindy sits calmly as I look over the results of her tests. When I look up at her, she has a thoughtful expression. Her eyes shift between me and her guardian, but there's nothing that tells me what is going through her mind.

"Hello, Cindy."

"I'm five."

The effect of small children is not lost on me. I smile.

"Well, hello five-year-old Cindy. How are you today?"

"My Mommy and Daddy died."

Miss Miles winces as her arms cross her chest. She's having a hard time holding herself together it seems. I motion to the closest chair and she sits with a rigid back, her arms still tightly crossed. At this point, I'm not sure who needs my reassurance more.

I nod at Cindy. "I am sorry."

Her long, annoyed sigh catches me off guard. "Everyone keeps saying that." Her small fists hit the mattress. "Wish they'd stop."

My eyes shift over to the uneasy social worker. "Miss, Miles, is there a _medical_ reason Cindy is here today?"

"It's Kathy, please, and…I'm not sure." Her hands grip the edges of the chair as she shifts in discomfort. "Cindy seems to be in some kind of shock."

"And why do you say that?"

Cindy huffs loudly. "It's all 'cuz I'm not crying, isn't it?" Her little hands flail with each word. "My sisters, my brothers, this lady…" She throws her hands in the air. "…they're all sad and I'm not!" Her eyes flash with anger. "I'm not sick! I want to go back with Stacy and Laura and Jack and Caleb!"

Kathy explains because she has no clue I have already met them all. "Those are her sisters and brothers. They're with the Weber's." I nod. Angela and her parents are a good choice. "Forks is a small town, Dr. Cullen. I'm breaking all kinds of rules here. But they were the only ones who'd take all of them, and your wife was most insistent that they stay together when we spoke…that day."

_That day_ was only two days ago. I was hesitant to leave Scott and Diane Landrum during their transformation, but the hospital needed me when two doctors called in sick. Edward and Jasper stayed at home to look after our unexpected guests.

"I 'member you." Cindy squints her eyes at me, making her even more adorable. "You helped us out of the van."

"That's right."

"And you tried to help Mommy and Daddy."

My chest begins to ache. Rarely do I fail as a doctor. Not being able to save the humanity of Cindy's parents weighs heavily on my mind. "I wish I could have."

"I know. You're a nice man."

Kathy clears her throat. "That's why I wanted you to see her…" Another nervous shift in the seat.

"So you used the emergency room?" I stifle the well-rehearsed lecture about the overuse of emergency rooms before it gets out. "Why didn't you call me?"

"She refuses to talk to anyone else. The other children will talk to…our doctor. Cindy said she would only talk to you."

Closing the chart, I consider my options. I am not a psychiatrist, but I get an inkling something is not as it seems. When I glance at Cindy again, I see a hint of a smile…

"What would you like to talk about Cindy?"

Her little nose wrinkles in thought. "You got a office? My doctor at home gots a office. He took me there when he tried to convince my mommy that we needed vaxa…vaxa…" She huffs in exasperation. "You know, shots."

"Vaccinations?" I offer.

She nods. "Yep. Doctor said we needed them, but Mommy said no cuz Jack got sick from one and Mommy said we'd never get another one."

Stubbornness appeared to be something I could expect from Diane.

My mind goes back to the accident. Esme and I had been hunting earlier that day. Our bloodlust satisfied, we had been making our way back to the car when we heard it. Silence exploding into breaking glass and grinding metal. The minutes that it took us to run to the road had seemed much too long.

How I wish I could erase the sight from my mind.

_The battered van lay on the passenger side, perched on the edge of the cliff—the front doors with no ground underneath them. I could hear the children. Some were crying, while others tried to comfort their siblings. While I knew they needed help, I had to check the front seats first._

"_Esme, go to the back. If it's safe, I will signal and you can pull the van away from the edge." _

"_Of course."_

_Once she was in place, I climbed carefully and looked inside. Sadly they were both awake. I glanced up at Esme and shook my head. It wasn't safe to expose our strength. "My name is Dr. Cullen," I said as my eyes went over inside of the van, stopping on Diane. She was lying on a door with the widow cracking from under her. The sound of shifting metal told me it would not hold her much longer. I had to get her out of there._

"_We have five children in the back!" she shouted at me. "Get them out first!"_

_Scott's voice was flat, his eyes never leaving his wife. "Yeah. Get them out first."_

_So I did. After making sure their children were safe, I got back to the window—just in time to see Diane and Scott fall…_

By the time I had reached them, there was little time to explain and offer a choice. Biting them so many times had been a painful necessity.

I have spent a lot of the past two days in prayer and guilt. Praying they would survive the transformation. Knowing that I could have handled it differently kept the guilt flowing. Now I have to live with my actions. We could have moved the van—fled during the night to avoid the accusations that were sure to follow. The move would have been uncomfortable for us, but the Landrums would have lived. Esme refused my guilty confession and told me it was right to keep our family safe. Looking into the small face of the girl who lost her mother has me questioning myself—yet again.

"Let's take this to my office, shall we?"

"Am I gonna get to talk to you all by myself?"

My chuckle seems to annoy her. If this little one was anything like her parents, we were in for a lot of trouble. "I think that will be all right. Kathy?"

The look I get is a definite no. I walk slowly over and squat down, making my gaze level with hers. "Now, Kathy, no one will mind." I give her a small smile and put a soothing tone in my voice as I looked deeply into her eyes. "Cindy will be just fine with me. Why don't you go to the cafeteria, get some coffee. Relax."

If the others could see me now…

Kathy nods slowly and stands. "Coffee sounds good."

"I will call you as soon as we are done."

Without any more protest, Kathy leaves.

Cindy looks at me wide-eyed. "Can you teach me to do that?"

"I'm sure you will have no trouble in that area, young miss. Shall we go?"

The walk to my office is quiet. Not long after we exit the elevator, Cindy places her hand in mine—and does not flinch. Surely she feels the hard, cold skin. This girl is causing more questions than she has answered.

Walking to the center of the room, Cindy twirls slowly, taking everything in. Her eyes stop on the picture on my desk. My family—a picture from Bella and Edward's wedding. The last family picture of her as a human.

Cindy is staring at it.

"So, Cindy, you wanted to talk to me?"

She looks around again in worry.

"No one will bother us." I sit in one of the chairs in front of my desk and offer her the offer one. "What is on your mind?"

The girl surprises me yet again by climbing into my lap. Once settled there, she looks up at me without speaking. She seems to be pondering something—so I wait. Never before had a child made me feel so uncomfortable.

She leans in closer and whispers. "I know about you."

There is not much I would not give at the moment to have Edward here now. I reach for my phone…and return it to my pocket. He is needed at home. Scott and Diane should wake tomorrow. However, transformations are not an exact science and move at varying paces. While I am sure Jasper can handle both of them alone, I prefer to have all of them there just in case.

Cindy is looking at me, waiting for me to respond—still wearing that small smile.

I whisper even though no one would hear if I spoke normally. "What is it that you know?"

"That you're a special doctor. That you know angels." She looks around as if someone might be trying to hear us. "The ones that watch over us."

"Watch over you?"

"Not justs me. Me and my brothers and my sisters. They came to the nice family's house last night."

A cold foreboding settles on me. My thoughts immediately go to Aro. Are we being watched? Do they know what I have done? He might consider the children a threat…us criminals…anyone who knows would be eliminated…

"Cindy, have you told anyone else about these angels?"

"No way!" Her eyes widen. "Not even Stacy or Laura or Jack or Caleb. They said not to. I gave my word!"

"Your _word?_ Do you know what that means?"

"I do now. Mr. Angel splained it to me."

The cold foreboding melts into irritation. Aro is not someone to talk about giving one's word, but I know someone who is. "Can you tell me what Mr. Angel looks like?"

She laughs. "He's right there!" She points to the family picture, so I pick it up and bring it close. Her finger immediately stabs down into the glass. "There he is! There's Mrs. Angel, too!"

Jasper and Alice.

I set the picture down as my mind goes into damage control. "Tell me about when you saw Mr. and Mrs. Angel."

Cindy's small face lights up. "Well, it was our first night there, and I was crying because…because…"

Tears threaten to fall, so I finish for her. "You miss them."

"Uh-huh. And it was still dark but the sky was a little bit light. I used to get up when it was like that, but Mommy said I had to stay in bed till the little hand was on the seven, and the big hand was straight up." She stiffs. "But Mrs. Weber didn't say that so I got up and I was being real quiet…just sitting and looking out the window. Then _plop!_" She claps her hands together and smiles. "Mr. Angel fell outta the sky! That's when he saw me, and he looks real surprised."

"I bet he did." I chuckle at Jasper being caught off guard by this little one.

"Then I banged on the glass…and he shook his head no…so I banged louder."

I begin to laugh.

She is so engrossed in her story that she keeps going. "Then Mrs. Angel fell outta the sky right next to him…."

Cindy goes on for another ten minutes telling me all about her encounter with Mr. and Mrs. Angel. Once she is finished we have a long talk and she promises never to tell anyone. Taking some crayon and a coloring book from my credenza, I get Cindy occupied then buzz my secretary.

"Yes, Dr. Cullen?"

"Janet, could you come in for a few minutes, please?"

"Yes, sir."

I like Janet. She is capable, and a hard worker. After entering, her blue eyes settle on our guest.

"Janet, this is Cindy. I'd like you to say with her while I talk to Miss Miles."

Cindy put down her crayon. "You have to go?" Her faces clouds.

"I will send Miss Miles back here when we are finished talking. After that, I have other patients to see."

"So we gotta say bye now?"

"Yes."

She crooks her small finger and without a thought, I drop to my knees to let the tiny human hug a vampire.

Putting her lips right to my ear, she whispers softly. "I'll never tell. But I can still get up early to…you know…?"

Not trusting myself, I nod without looking in her eyes.

Once outside my office, the phone rings and I answer without checking the caller ID. "Alice."

"We're waiting in your study."

The drive home tests my patience. What if Cindy had not come in today? Would I have never known? The thought of being kept in the dark begins to anger me...until I remember who I am dealing with—my family. I promise myself to hear them out.

Esme greets me on the porch of our home. "Hello, darling. I get to see you before we go. Lucky me." Her arms glide around me and I sigh. The embrace of my mate soothes me in a way nothing else does.

"Edward and Emmett are in the guest house, with them."

A scream bursts from that direction and Esme shakes her head. "Poor dears. Jasper said things are progressing well, and they should wake tomorrow. I wish there was more we could do for them."

"You ladies all packed?"

"Do you really think this is necessary, Carlisle?"

"No. However, Edward insists that Bella and Renesmee leave, so it is better that the rest of you go, too."

Her laugh rings out, and I am already counting the minutes until I see her again. "So this is all to make Edward feel better?" Her lips form a bit of a pout so I kiss it away. "Spill, doctor."

"All right. I admit it. I will feel better if none of you are here when they wake. _Two_ newborns, Esme. If anything were to happen…"

"Nothing will happen, we're going." She pulls me in for another kiss, and I willingly comply. "I will be calling you daily. As your wife, I reserve the right to pester you."

"I would not have it any other way."

Twenty minutes and several goodbyes later and all the women, save Alice, have driven off. They will be staying in Seattle until we know Scott and Diane can handle the presence of so many and have better self-control. I've never been a man of violence, but if they hurt one of my family...

Jasper would be allowed to do the deed.

For now, I am hoping it does not come to that.

When I enter my office, Alice and Jasper say nothing. They wait while I remove my tie and jacket. Their eyes follow me as I hang up my shed clothing. Jasper's silence I am used to. He has no trouble waiting for me to start.

Alice, however, appears to be uncomfortable and fidgets. "Carlisle, I—"

Jasper puts a hand on her shoulder, and she quiets. His eyes go to me. "Sorry. We should've told you as soon as it happened."

"That would have been nice."

"We were waitin' for a chance to talk to you privately. I just got back from meetin' with Jenks. I have yet to even _see_ those two." Jasper nods in the direction of the guest house. "And Edward's high strung enough as it is."

I nod at the truth. Edward is going to be a problem. He is most unhappy with our situation. "Everything go all right with Jenks?"

"Yep, everythin' will be ready and I'll pick it up when it's my turn to visit in Seattle."

Alice crosses her arms. "Can't believe we're getting shipped to Seattle."

Pulling her close, Jasper rests his chin on her head. "Just for a little while." He eyes lock on mine. "You never know how a newborn will be when they wake, Alice. They may be fine or they may be wild and I'll have to…" He lowers his lips to her ear. "Just do this for me."

"Fine. Least I can still do some more shopping for them."

"Good grief, woman! There's no more room in that monstrosity you built for them that _you_ call a closet!"

"You take care of your specialty, Jazz, and I'll take care of mine."

I cough to get their attention. "So, tell me, Mr. Angel, how did a five-year-old girl get the drop on you? Losing your touch?"

Jasper looks chagrined and I laugh, knowing the vampire before me—once called the God of War—who has a bit of a soft spot for Renesmee, has made room there for Cindy.

"There are ten heartbeats in that house. We stayed on the roof and checked—thought they were all asleep."

I tell him what he already knows. "The smaller the body, the faster the heartbeat."

"Anyway," Jasper rubbed the back of his neck. "It was the craziest thing. We drop from the roof and right into her line of sight. Then she starts bangin' on the window!"

Thinking of Cindy telling the story has me laughing—much to Jasper's irritation. "She told me you fell out of the sky."

Jasper growls when Emmett's snicker comes from the guest house.

"Once she quit with the racket, Jazz got her to come downstairs to the back door, and we had a little chat. Cindy came up with the angel theory so we just went with it." Alice tone begs for my understanding. "She's just a little girl. No one would believe her if she did tell."

Jasper's voice has a hard edge to it. "I agree with Alice."

Looking up, I find Jasper staring at me intently. I know, as the coven leader, if I gave the horrible order, he would take care of the girl—and it would weigh on him for years. Once Scott and Diane discovered the dark deed...they would fight us to the death. Still, Jasper would do it—all of it—if he thought Alice was in danger. He had been the one to suggest eliminating Bella in the beginning, when he perceived her as a threat to the family—to Alice.

Holding his gaze, I shake my head. "No one will believe her. I've made sure of it."

Jasper's shoulders relax a bit.

"I spoke to Miss Miles, from CPS and told her Cindy has had some very vivid dreams. That in these dreams, angels have told her they are taking care of her parents and that they are happy in their new home." I level a reproving look at Alice. "That was risky."

"I hate lying. We have to do it so much." Her hands tighten around Jasper's arm that holds her. "I wanted to tell as much truth as I could."

"The early mornin' thing, darlin'." Jasper kisses his wife on the top of her head. "Don't forget that. It's my favorite part."

Alice drops her gaze and her voice softens. "I told Cindy, that when the dawn breaks, angels like to look down on the earth. That the light gets stronger because God uses the power of the angel's love—for those they've left behind—to make the sun rise." When Alice looks up at me, her eyes are glassy. "She smiled _so big_ when I said that."

Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the drawing. "You've given her hope during a black time in her life, Alice. That's not a bad thing. I think Cindy, as well as her siblings, will be just fine." I hand the paper to my daughter. "She left this on my desk."

Jasper looks at Cindy's gift and chuckles. "Look at that, Mrs. Angel. We have wings."

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©2012 Midnight Ariel

08.15.12

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Pre-Reader: AliceFan

Beta: SushiBrat – Thanks for saving my story!

Graphic Artist: Christag_Banners and Sunray16

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Written for Fandom for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

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